LIVE BLOG: George Zimmerman trial in the Trayvon Martin case
LIVE BLOG - George Zimmerman trial in the death of Trayvon Martin...
[Read Day 1 Blogging of Jury Selection Below]
UPDATE, 5:17 p.m.: The court is in recess until tomorrow.
UPDATE, 5:13 p.m.: Judge has called back the potential jurors into the courtroom and asked them not to discuss, research, or report upon the case overnight until they return tomorrow. The potential jurors are being excused for the evening. They will report back to the courtroom tomorrow at 9 a.m.
UPDATE, 4:30 p.m.: B76 said her family is in agreement that she will make a decision based fully on evidence and that she has only seen news coverage less than 10 times.
UPDATE, 4:24 p.m.: B76 denies signing a petition related to the case, nor has she donated money to either cause.
UPDATE, 4:20 p.m.: Don West, of the defense, is questioning potential juror B76 about her sources of news. B76 answers that she does not have cable and relies on local news.
UPDATE, 4:18 p.m.: B76 said her family has discussed the case, but “is open-minded and believes everyone deserves a fair trial”. She said her husband may have researched the case further but not disclosed any information with her.
UPDATE, 4:11 p.m.: B76 said she paid more attention to the case through a combination of local TV broadcasts because the incident happened in Seminole County.
UPDATE, 4:06 p.m.: Prosecutor De la Rionda is questioning new potential juror, they call B76.
UPDATE, 4:00 p.m.: B30 says he does not watch “national news” and denies attendance at any of the rallies that happened in Sanford. B30 claims to have discussed the case only 2-3 times since the incident in February 2012.
UPDATE, 3:54 p.m.: B30 talks about how his hearing loss only provides him with bits and pieces of what he overhears. O’Mara asks about the extent of conversations B30 had with his girlfriend, who has opinions about parts of the case.
UPDATE, 3:50 p.m.: B30 is aware of debate around the screaming on the 911 tape, but can not tell who it is.
UPDATE, 3:37 p.m.: Potential juror B30 says, “All I know is that there was fault on both sides as far as I can see. It was two people in the wrong place at the wrong time” when asked his current opinion. He says he can not lean one way or the other.
UPDATE, 3:33 p.m.: B30 claims to have been interviewed by a newscaster 2-3 months ago about his opinions on the case, though doesn’t remember his interview being broadcast and said he could not form an opinion at that time.
UPDATE, 3:30 p.m.: B30 has lived in the area for most of his life, but has not read anything about the case. He claims to have heard others opinions about the case, but has tried not to listen.
UPDATE, 3:25 p.m.: Prosecutor De la Rionda is questioning new potential juror B30.
UPDATE, 3:16 p.m.: “Everyone needs a fair trial. At the end of the day you have to listen to both sides,” says B29. She believes that she could give a fair trial to George Zimmerman.
UPDATE, 3:07 p.m.: B29 says that being sequestered for an extended period of time away from her family would be hard but she would be able to do it.
UPDATE, 2:59 p.m.: B29 is being questioned by Don West. She says that she works late nights in a nursing home, does not read the newspaper, or watch the news.
UPDATE, 2:51 p.m.: Next potential juror is being questioned by De la Rionda, referred to as B29. This juror is from Chicago and just recently moved to Florida, she was not in the area for the time in question.
UPDATE, 2:50 p.m.: Defense attorney O’Mara asks B12 if she could quantify the number of times she heard about the case through media or friends. B12 answer”3 or 4″ for the conclusion of her questioning.
UPDATE, 2:37 p.m.: Defense attorney Mark O’Mara asks potential juror B12 more questions about what she remembers from initial reports and what she believed to be true. O’Mara asks if there are any specifics that the juror recalls.
UPDATE, 2:34 p.m.: Potential juror B12 says that they “didn’t really pay attention” to coverage of the trial after initial reports.
UPDATE, 2:28 p.m.: Court is back in session. Potential juror B12 is being questioned about their media consumption as it pertains to the case by prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda.
UPDATE, 12:29 p.m.: The court has called for a recess for lunch, it will resume at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time.
UPDATE, 12:02 p.m.: Judge Nelson and lawyers from both sides are sifting through juror questionnaires.
UPDATE, 10:19 a.m.: Shortly, prospective jurors will be handed their questionnaires. George Zimmerman will be allowed in that room as well as lawyers from both sides, with no objection from the state.
UPDATE June 10, 9:40 a.m.: Jury selection begins in the trial of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman’s defense has requested to bring up a previous motion citing concerns about the timeliness of discoveries from the State. Judge Nelson decided that she will address these concerns on a case by case basis.
